NJ residents will soon be able to legally own stun guns

TRENTON — In the three months since Attorney General Christopher Porrino settled a lawsuit ending the state's ban on stun guns, several steps have been taken to make them available in the state.

Up until the April settlement, which came on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year ruling that bans of stun guns were unconstitutional, New Jersey was one of five states to have such bans. According to the Attorney General's Office, states were given 180 days to "allow us to establish limitations consistent with public safety and the Second Amendment."

Porrino's office said the State Police were tasked with developing regulations that would prohibit the guns from being sold to or owned by people under the age of 18. Those rules, the attorney general's office said, will likely go into effect in December.

While the Supreme Court's decision and the settlement in April lifted the ban on ownership of stun guns in the state, Porrino's office said there are still "statutory provisions that establish restrictions on stun guns," that include laws prohibiting ownership by felons and "incompetent persons."

The lawsuit was filed by the New Jersey Second Amendment Society and a resident of the state. Society President Alexander Roubian told NorthJersey.com that he was encouraged to see progress made in the ownership of the weapons.

"We were adamant about fighting to make sure there was no permits or permission from the government attached to this," he said in the story. "We feel this is very important in regard to allowing people to protect themselves."